An oncourologist named the main risk factors for developing kidney cancer

According to estimates by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the incidence of kidney cancer in many countries continues to increase, said urological oncologist at SM-Clinic Alexander Sysoev. He told Lenta.ru about what factors increase the likelihood of developing a dangerous disease.

The doctor named smoking, obesity and arterial hypertension as the main threats to kidney health. “The connection between smoking and kidney cancer has been confirmed by a large number of studies. Moreover, the risk increases as the smoking experience increases. In addition to nicotine, tobacco smoke contains equally harmful nitrosamines and benzene, which damage cell DNA. Over time, such changes can lead to the development of a cancerous tumor in the kidneys,” Sysoev warned.

According to a urological oncologist, data from a large study show that men who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day had twice the risk of renal cell carcinoma compared to non-smokers.

At the same time, as the specialist noted, in obese men the risk of renal cell cancer is approximately 63 percent higher, and in women it is almost 95 percent higher than in people of normal weight. Risk factors, he said, include arterial hypertension. According to the European Association of Urology, patients with high blood pressure are approximately 1.7 times more likely to develop renal cell carcinoma.